Air cooled condenser



Dec. 31, 1963 w, DAY 3,115,757

AIR COOLED CONDENSER v Filed April 4, 1962 INVENTOR/ WILLIAM M. Dmj

MM W W ATTOENEYE.

United States Patent 3,115,757 AER CGOLED CGNDENSER William M. Day, Elyria, Ohio, assignor to The C. A. Glsen Mfg. Co., Elyria, Ghio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 185,140 4 Claims. (Cl. 62-507) This invention relates to condensing units and particularly to condensing units for installation outside a building in conjunction with cooling systems, air-conditioning systems for buildings, refrigerating systems, and the like.

Refrigerating systems involve the use of a motor driven compressor for a suitable medium which is liquefied upon compression and evaporates to accomplish refrigeration when the pressure is relieved. For this purpose, there is an evaporator in the mechanical heat exchanger apparatus such as an air-conditioning unit or refrigerator into which the liquefied medium is allowed to flow through an expansion nozzle. There is also a condenser or condensing unit into which evaporated medium drawn from the evaporator by the compressor is pumped and subjected to sutficient pressure to liquefy the medium. To enable the liquefaction to take place and to promote the etficiency of the operation, means are provided for cooling the condenser by passing a current of air through it. Fans, power propellers and so forth have been utilized for forcing the flow of an adequate volume of air through the air passageways of the condenser or across the cooling fins thereof.

The industry has been vaciilating between horizontaldischcrge and vertical-discharge air flows. Objections have been made either because of damage to shrubbery or the disagreeable effects of blowing hot air against or into neighboring houses and transmitting noise in the case of horizontal discharge, or noise due to air rebounding oil the roof overhang or streaking of walls in the case of vertical-discharge units. In either case, vertical condensers with vertical cooling fins have been preferred in the industry in order to make it easier to maintain clean fin surfaces. With vertical condensers it has been possible to achieve vertical-discharge only indirectly; thus, diminishing the efficiency of the movement of air.

compactness in physical size of condensing units has been sought, which has necessitated confining components within a limited enclosure resulting in inadequate access to components when servicing was required.

An object of the invention, accordingly, is to provide an improved condensing unit which avoids the problems and difiiculties which have heretofore been encountered.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a compact condensing unit which may be serviced easily and which discharges air from the condenser in oblique direction from 1 to 89 degrees so as not to cause either horizontal or vertical discharge air flow.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In carrying out the invention in accordance with a preferred form thereof, a housing or casing is utilized having one side formed by a vertically extending condenser with openings therein for the passage of cooling air. A compressor is mounted on the base of the casing and the casing is provided with a sloping wall above the base and opposite the condenser. The sloping wall has a circular opening therein to receive a discharge fan. The discharge fan motor is mounted upon the wall in such a manner that the blades of the fan fit within the circular opening in the sloping wall, whereby the direction of air discharge is neither vertical or horizontal. To provide access for servicing, the sloping wall is hinged at the lower edge and a flexible cable for supplying current to the fan motor is utilized.

A better understanding of the invention will be afforded by the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. '1 is a view in elevation from the condenser side of a condensing unit forming an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of a central vertical section of the apparatus of FIG. 1 as seen from the side;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 with the hinged sloping wall opened to expose the exterior of the casing and permit access thereto;

Fl G. 4 is a section of a prior art arrangement in which horizontal discharge air flow results; and

PEG. 5 is a sectional diagram of an arrangement in which vertical air flow is caused from a vertical plane condenser.

Like reference characters are utilized throughout the rawing to designate like parts.

In order to illustrate and explain the improvements of the present invention, diagrams of two arrangements heretofore employed have been provided in H68. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, a vertical condenser 11, into which refrigerant is pumped and heated by compression, is cooled by a fan 12 discharging air horizonally in the direction indicated by the arrows 13-. This hot blast is obviously injurious to adjacent shrubs and other vegetation and objectionable to neighbors if other buildings are adjacent. In order to avoid the objections of hori zontal air flow discharge, proposals have been made for vertical air flow discharge as in PEG. 5 retaining the advantages of a vertical condenser d3. In this arrangement a casing is employed having a closed wall 14 opposite the condenser 13 and openings at the top wall 15 to permit vertical air discharge as represented by the arrows 16. Air is drawn into the casing horizontally as represented by the arrows 17. In order to change the direction of the flow of air, a power propeller i8 is provided which is mounted with a canted shaft 19 in such a manner as to cause the air drawn across or through the condenser 11 to pound against the solid wall 14 and travel upward as indicated by the arrows 16. This in itself results in power inefficiency for producing the air flow and moreover has the further disadvantage that the upwardly moving air 16 rebounds from the eaves or overhang of the building so as to cause objectionable noise within the building being air-conditioned.

Air flow against adjacent shrubbery or neighboring building or against roof overhang is avoided by discharging the air obliquely upward in accordance with the invention.

This is accomplished by providing a casing or housing 21 having one side occupied by a condenser 22 and an opposite sloping wall 23, the entire casing resting upon a base 24- which also supports a compressor unit 25. The condenser 22 is for-med of a plurality of vertical refrigerant passageways or tubes 26 with intervening air spaces 27 and preferably having cooling fins 23 tightly joined to each of the tubes as in a suitable manner as by press fitting. The cooling fins '2? are also vertical so that dust and oil and other material tending to interfere with the dissipation of heat by radiation, convection or otherwise from the cooling fins 28 and the condenser tubes 26 themselves is avoided.

.T he sloping wall 23 is set at an angle of approximately 45 in the embodiment illustrated. However, the invention is not limited specifically thereto and any slope may be employed which avoids either substantially vertical or horizontal outflow. There is a circular opening 29 with a grid-type guard 36 in the sloping Wall 23 of appropriate diameter to receive fan blades 31 of a fan having a driving motor 32 mounted upon the sloping wall 23 by means of a bracket 33. Rotation of the fan blades 31 causes air to be drawn in through the condenser 22 to sweep through the casing 21 in the paths of the curved arrows 34 and out through the opening 29, obliquely upward in the direction of the arrows 35, that is, at an angle of about 45 above horizontal.

In order to facilitate ready access to the interior of the casing 21 for servicing the compressor 25 and other parts of the system, the wall 23 is made removeable, preferably being pivotally supported on the remainder of the casing, advantageously at the lower edge by means of hinges or curved tongues 36 on the lower edge 33 of the sloping wall 23 locking on to a low vertical Wall 37. As shown in the drawing the curved tongues 36 are concave downwardly. The walls 39 adjacent the condenser 22 each have a sloping edge 4t? against which the sloping wall 23 fits.

Preferably, then arrow top wall 41 is made integral with the sloping wall 23 so that it also swings away when the sloping wall 23 is swung round the hinges 36 to expose the entire interior of the casing 21 and leave a wide access opening. A narrow lip 42 is formed on the top wall 4 1 which overhangs the top of the condenser 22 to form a complete finished closure when the sloping wall 23 is in place. A flexible cable or conductor cord 43, the central portion of which is broken away for clarity in the drawing, is provided in order that the fan motor 32 and the sloping wall 23 may be lifted out of place without disconnecting the motor 32 and the supply conductors 43 from a current source 44 external to the casing 21.

The hinged fold out section formed by the sloping wall 23 and the top wall portion 41 is advantageous also in facilitating production in that it allows sub-assembly of the fan and fan motor unit with its guard cage and swing out panel 23.

it will be understood that conventional piping or tubing interconnects the condenser 22, the compressor 25 and an evaporator (not shown) including a length of tubing between the compressor 25 and the condenser 22, a length of tubing 46 leading to the inlet expansion device (not shown) of the evaporator and a return tubing 47 from the evaporator to the compressor 25.

rln accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle of operation of the invention ha been described together with the apparatus now believed to represent the best embodiment thereof, but it is to be understood that the apparatus shown and described is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other arrangements.

What is claimed is:

1. In an :air cooled condensing unit for mechanical heat exchanger apparatus, in combination with a condenser elernent mounted in a vertical plane with vertical fins and having openings to permit the passage of cooling air therethrough, a housing joined to the condenser having a sloping wall pivoted at one end to permit opening the housing for servicing, a compressor in said housing, said sloping wall having a -fan receiving opening therein and a fan with a motor mounted upon said Wall with fan blades disposed in said opening whereby air is drawn through the condenser and discharged in a direction at an angle above horizontal, thereby avoicing damage to shiubbery in the case of a horizontal discharge or noise due to air rebounding off the roof overhang as in the case of vertical discharge, and whereby the fan may readily be removed for servicing of the fan and motor unit and the compressor.

2. in an air cooled condensing unit for avoiding interference of discharge air with objects in front of or above the unit, a casing having one side formed by a vertically extending condenser with openings therein for the passage of cooling air, a base with a compressor mounted thereon and a sloping wall above the base having one edge pivoted to permit opening the casing, a discharge line connecting ithe compressor to the condenser, a vapor return line connected to the compressor, a liquid refrigerant line connected to the condenser, said sloping wall having an opening therein and a discharge :fan with a motor mounted upon said wall with fan blades in said opening whereby the direction of air discharge is between vertical and horizontal, and a flexible conductor in said casing connected at one end to a source of motor driving current and connected at the other end to the motor whereby the Wall may be opened or closed without disconnecting the motor.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the sloping wall lies at an angle of approximately 45 to horizontal.

4. In an outdoor, air cooled condensing unit for avoiding interference of direction of discharge air with objects in front of or above the unit, a casing having one side formed by a vertically extending condenser with openings therein for the passage of cooling air, a base, and a slop ing wall above the base having one edge pivoted to permit opening the casing, said sloping wall having an open ing therein and a discharge fan motor mounted upon said wall with fan blades in said opening whereby the direction of air discharge is oblique, and a flexible conductor in said casing connected at one end to a source of motor driving current and connected at the other end to the motor whereby the wall may be opened or closed without disconnecting the motor.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,247,028 Kuntz June 24, 1941 2,283,928 Huggins May 26, 1942 2,471,960 Johnson May 31, 1949 2,655,795 Dyer Oct. 20, 1953 2,660,867 Borgerd Dec. 1, 1953 2,736,176 Carlton Feb. 28, 1956 2,920,464 Trask Jan. 12, 1960 

1. IN AN AIR COOLED CONDENSING UNIT FOR MECHANICAL HEAT EXCHANGER APPARATUS, IN COMBINATION WITH A CONDENSER ELEMENT MOUNTED IN A VERTICAL PLANE WITH VERTICAL FINS AND HAVING OPENINGS TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE OF COOLING AIR THERETHROUGH, A HOUSING JOINED TO THE CONDENSER HAVING A SLOPING WALL PIVOTED AT ONE END TO PERMIT OPENING THE HOUSING FOR SERVICING, A COMPRESSOR IN SAID HOUSING, SAID SLOPING WALL HAVING A FAN RECEIVING OPENING THEREIN AND A FAN WITH A MOTOR MOUNTED UPON SAID WALL WITH FAN BLADES DISPOSED IN SAID OPENING WHEREBY AIR IS DRAWN THROUGH THE CONDENSER AND DISCHARGED IN A DIRECTION AT AN ANGLE ABOVE HORIZONTAL, THEREBY AVOIDING DAMAGE TO SHRUBBERY IN THE CASE OF A HORIZONTAL DISCHARGE OR NOISE DUE TO AIR REBOUNDING OFF THE ROOF OVERHANG AS IN THE CASE OF VERTICAL DISCHARGE, AND WHEREBY THE FAN MAY READILY BE REMOVED FOR SERVICING OF THE FAN AND MOTOR UNIT AND THE COMPRESSOR. 